Mazur Tools

Albano Gearing Up For Grade 1 Haskell

Saturday, July 12, 2014

With little time
remaining between now and the 47th running of the Grade 1 William Hill Haskell
Invitational on July 27, horses and their conditioners are gearing up in anticipation,
including Albano and trainer Larry Jones.

Albano has hit the board in all but
one of his seven career starts, including an emphatic win in the Grade 3
Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 15, where he bested the field by 6 1/2
lengths, stepping the mile and a sixteenth in 1:44 1/5.

“We’re glad we ran there,” Jones said. “It gave us a trip over the
track and we’re pleased at how well he handled it that day. All was good.”

A 3-year-old colt by Istan out of the Fortunate Prospect mare Pocho’s
Dream Girl, Albano came out of the race well and has begun his training
regiment for Monmouth
Park’s summer
centerpiece.

“He just had his first work back last Monday,” said Jones, “but that’s
just kind of what we do customarily. We figure three little breezes between his
last race and the Haskell will be all he needs, so he’ll have another breeze
this Monday or Tuesday and will have his final breeze the Tuesday before the
Haskell. He gallops a mile and a half every day.”

In his first workout on the road to the big race, Albano breezed five
furlongs in 1:01 4/5 on July 7 at Delaware
Park. Jones says that he
is contemplating when to ship his colt to Monmouth for the Haskell, either the
morning of the race or the day before, but this decision is not burdening him
too much because of the short drive between tracks.

As for the rider in the Haskell, Jones said, “It’ll be Kerwin (jockey
Clark). He’s ridden him in pretty much all of his races in the Fall, Spring,
and Summer, and he’ll ride him in the next race as well.”

A Brereton C. Jones color-bearer, Albano’s likely competition in the
Haskell are the filly Untapable, Bayern, Wildcat Red, Social Inclusion, Medal
Count, Just Call Kenny and Irish You Well.

The William Hill Haskell will be
televised live on NBC and is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In”
Series, with the victor getting an automatic berth to the $5 million Breeders’
Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

Haskell Tickets can be purchased by
calling 732-571-5563, or by visiting the reserved seat booth (2nd
floor of the Grandstand) on any live racing day. In addition, fans can
pre-purchase Haskell seats directly through monmouthpark.com.